Deadly Tapestry
by Erin Nire 376
Summary: Tapestry tap·es·try [táppəstree] -a piece of textile fabric formed by woven threads -used in reference to an intricate or complex combination of events. light is still under suspicion, and is trying to shake L off his back. but when an old friend of L's appears, light does all he can to kill her, but its troublesome when she's the very rivaling enemy of the death note itself.
1. Chapter -her

**A/N-though I cant match to the detail of the original, I gave it a shot. all thanks goes to my beta flava sava! this would be a total train wreck without him. please leave a beautiful review! I love them! and I love you!**

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Chapter 1 - Her

_"L, all the arrangements are ready." Watari's muffled voice came through the phone pressed to the detectives' ear. "Perfect. I'm sure the task force will be pleased, plus Light-kun will be able to cooperate with the case... Have you found her yet?" In a brief silence, L already knew the answer before it came. "No, not yet." He hung up, and the man pursed his lips, snapping his phone shut._

_It was sunny. Vast meadows of wildflowers and grasslands were behind him, a short crooked brown fence separated the dirt road from the wild rolling hills. This was a different venue from the last, or from what the was used to. It was too bright, too open. The blue sky blinded him, despite the cumulous clouds on the horizon, and reminded him of whip cream on top a blueberry cake**. **Hm, cake. He had one during the flight, he should have some when he gets inside-_

_"Ryouta, are you coming?" Watari asked behind him, L looked over his shoulder to his current alias. _

_"A new case, a new home," he muttered under his breath, and turned to his new home. His old grey sneakers scuffed the small rocks under the soles. The villa stood alone on the long dirt road, open, but secluded. It had a sun-bleached pink tint to the outside with pale amber shutters on two stories. It appeared to be an average Italian villa from the outside. Inside, the first level was in three sections: the kitchen, living quarters, and the investigation office where all the equipment was, "All the original furnishings are acquired, I presume?" L received a nod from his assistant, who looked awful hot in that formal black coat. But he never complained. _

_"Yes. Any furniture too worn was replaced with replicas." _

_"When does the meeting with the Polizia di Stato begin?"_

_"At noon." _

_It was nearly eleven. He had a couple hours to get settled. L entered through the large open mahogany double doors that had swung back with a groan from the hinges. The entry was dark and dusty from the rare usage of the residence. A new case, a new home._

Light walked through the college campus outside; Cherry blossom petals floated softly to the ground, happy chatter filled his ears from classmates. He focused on the ground; on the outside he appeared to be in deep thought. He was careful on his steps of this case, and made sure L kept guessing; though he'd never strayed off track before.

Every day L's suspicion of him as Kira grew. He had to throw him off track somehow. He'd been able to miraculously avoid Misa, but needed to use her to kill L. He could probably use Rem; her love for Misa could be of use to him. Light noticed something from the corner of his eye and looked. A young woman stared at him from a bench that came from the path of cherry blossom trees.

She was attractive in a peculiar way; her bright green eyes studied him. Her eyes widened as she saw him, than her brow furrowed almost like a glare. Light frowned as he looked back. _Who was she? What's with that reaction? Does she know something...?_

With that she turned with a small "hmph!" and walked away. Her long black hair made the cherry blossoms look like snow in comparison. She wasn't Japanese despite the natural black locks; she looked almost European.

_Who was she?_ He wanted insight.

"Ryousaki!" Chief Yagami yelled, leaning over the chair L sat in and peered at his face.

The detecive snapped out of his daydream to the call of his current alias.

Chief Yagami stared at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was day dreaming, I guess," he mumbled, stirring his tea as the rest of the task force went back to working in silent diligence. L plopped a few more sugar cubes into the creamy beverage, sucking the sweet remnants off his fingers as Yagami continued to contemplate their predicament.

The detective looked up at the police chief, who was glancing over the papers silently, seeing he was trying to ignore Matsuda's chirping behind him. Every day L suspected Light of Kira; though he was relying on a hunch rather than actual facts. If he was, the signs were well hidden, but noticeable to him. The way he spoke, the way he gave an answer, the way he seemed so perfectly innocent, it irked the detective even more. Now he could have a lead using his old resources. He could definitely crack Light once and for all. The closer he seemed to a solution, the more his friendship with Light grew. If he had to, L would instantly bring him to justice.

L sighed, dropping a sugar cube onto his tongue and sucking on it as it melted away. "We're heading to a new hotel due to recent events," L said. The task force looked at him with surprise.

"Really? Where?" Matsuta asked, his eyes wide with excitement. He wanted to get out of the same hotel room for once.

L got up from his chair, took his tea with him and sat at the surveillance TV's table in front of the laptop, and opened it. "I've been working on it ever since I decided to hire another member. It's located more to the center of the city; hopefully this relocation will not be too difficult for you."

"Not at all, it's necessary to move around so it's no problem. What events are you referring to, Ryuzaki?" Yagami mumbled, looking at the picture of the building on the screen. "Wow! This'll be so cool! It's like we're agents moving around on a top mission-"

"How did you get the money for this, L?" It looked like a pricy hotel, one that celebrities could stay in.

"I have my means. Working on several cases worldwide every year never fails to bring in a nice income."

"L, good news. I've been able to locate and contact Connie." They paused when Watari's voice came over the intercom, the detective turned towards it.

"Is that so?" A bubbling excitement grew in L's stomach as he smiled, nudging his upper lip with his thumb and slouched in his chair. "Connie? Who's that?"

"An old friend from another case, who can help us." Watari continued, "L, she is on a private investigation in the city, and can meet privately with you."

The detective grinned. How long has it been? Four years? Five? His excitement grew more than when he found a clue on the case.

"Huh?! She?!" Matsuda gasped in bewilderment.

Aizawa scoffed. "A strange name for a girl."

"It's short for Concetta. She's Italian," L informed them, remembering how she pouted when he made fun of her name. He couldn't wait to see her.

"Oh her?" Miomuro gestured from the window of the cafeteria. The two men looked at the black-haired woman through the glass.

She was sipping on a mango smoothie in between her elbows while leaning against the table, a thick book between her hands. "That's Kyioshi Manome. We're in literature together. She's at the top of the class and is half English or something. Her mother is a flower shop owner and her father died years ago in an accident. She got a scholarship because of her grades."

"What's her major?" Light asked, never looking away from the woman. Her long finger turned the page as she swallowed a mouthful of frozen mango juice.

"I think its teaching. I'm not sure. But she's never seen without a book. She's kind of a bitch though."

"Huh?" The insult snapped Light out of his gaze as he turned to his classmate. His glasses sliding off his nose so the freckle boy pushed them hastily back up his nose.

"I-I mean, she always thinks she's above everyone or something. Every time someone asks her to do something, or asks a question, or even just introduces themselves, she always has something to say. The other day Seiko asked for a part of notes she missed, and the woman practically accused her of cheating on her boyfriend, the reason for not getting the handout on time. She ruined a relationship."

_No, that wasn't it._ Light looked back at the woman, his squinted. She wasn't rude for sport. It was intuitive. For someone to notice something as secluded and personal as cheating, they have to have some high level of observance. _She's a threat._ The woman suddenly looked from her book, and straight at him and smirked. That sparked his anger. _This woman has to know something!_

Behind him, Ryuk began to laugh. "She sure looks suspicious!"

Light scowled as Miomuro left with a shrug. He couldn't just pass her off as a rude, it was like giving her the cold shoulder. _It's safer to just imagine she knows at least something and be cautious about it._

She looked away, making a few dark strands slip back over her shoulder.

"Light!"

He grimaced at the voice, looking over his shoulder as Misa skipped up to him. Rem floated behind in tow, the female shinigami's white haired head nodded to Ryuk in recognition. "Misa! I told you not to keep coming here, you always make a scene!"

"Whaaat? But I missed you so much!" She pouted. Her hair was in proper pig tails today, Misa wore a silk white shirt, a black and grey plaid uniform skirt, and black leather boots covered in zippers. Whenever she moved her skull earrings and the crosses on her neck jingled, making her sound like a bunch of tiny wind chimes.

"Misa, L already suspects me as Kira, I told you this. As long as you and I are together he has a lead."

"I don't care! All I want to be with is my knight in shining armor!"

"You should care! What if you're caught? If we're together twenty-four-seven it could raise his suspicions even more!"

She pouted deeper, puffing her cheeks out like a child.

He couldn't fret over this now, he had to look into Kyioshi Manome, and would need Misa's help. "Misa, honey, it's just precautionary. Once he's out of the way we can be together forever."

She clasped her hands in glee. "Forever? Really? Yay!"

"W-wait!" He stopped her before she could jump to hug him tightly, making her cheery smile disappear, Light sighed in annoyance. "I need a favor from you," he said and she smiled, holding his hand with a look of determination.

"Of course! Anything Light wants me to do I'll do it!"

He sighed again, looked over his shoulder to see the black-haired woman talking to a professor who approached her table. With her attention now steeled away, Light used this opportunity to his advantage. "Misa, you see that woman over there? I suspect she knows something about the death note. Be cautious of her okay? Avoid her at all costs. I think she's using an alias, can you see her real name?" He needed to know, a precaution of course; and he could never take too many of those these days.

"Okay! Let's see... Her name is..." Misa looked at the woman to try and find her identity, looking for the familiar floating words over the woman's head with her shinigami eyes. Everything else around her seemed to turn grey so she could focus. But something was wrong. "Huh?" Misa blinked and rubbed her eyes in discomfort. "Ouch..." She grumbled.

Light's eyebrows furrowed as he looked back at the woman, who didn't seem to be doing anything to them directly. "What? What's wrong?" He demanded, wondering if Misa couldn't see a life span, and if so, this woman had another death note.

"I-I can't focus on it. Her life span is clear but every time I look at her name it's like looking at static for too long. It hurts my eyes." She looked back up to try again, squinting in concentration and wariness.

Light watched her carefully as she frowned in focus.

After a minute, she tore her gaze away, as her eyes began to water. She whined. "I still can't see it! I'm sorry, Light! I'm so sorry! I'll try again."

_What was going on, why couldn't Misa see her name? Was it a side effect for humans using the shinigami eyes? To be unable to see names at certain points? But at this rate..._

"You don't want to go blind. Don't worry, I'll just use the name I have-"

"That's impossible Light Yagami," Rem spoke up, Ryuk laughed quietly behind her, and Light knew they could both see the same thing.

"What do you mean? Why can't Misa see names?" He demanded, supporting Misa's weight as she wobbled again as she kept trying. "Hey! I said to stop!"

"I'm sorry! I'm useless now! I'm sorry!..."

"She can still see other names," Rem assured them, which made Misa turn toward her with a smile of relief.

"Really? That's good," she sighed.

Light wasn't done, and looked back at the bony shinigami. "I asked why she can't see," he reminded Rem with a growl.

Rem looked down at him, enjoying the sight of flustered Light, who had finally come to face his weakness. She never liked him, she never would. "It's because shinigami can't see her name either. She's nameless."

The task force sat in the hotel room, looking over the samples brought back from the envelopes that were used to mail the second Kira tapes.

L sat in a chair like usual, legs tucked into himself, looking over the forensics. It had been a few hours after telling the task force to assume Light was Kira if he died in the next few days. He didn't want to die, who did? His thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and held it to his ear. "Yes?" It was Watari, who called him on a daily basis to inform him what was going on. One of L's feet scratched the other as he waited for Watari to speak.

"L, she's agreed to meet."

L's heart leapt in his chest. _Finally._

_Crickets chirped their unusually flowing song and frogs croaked a melody from the nearby pond. It sounded more like the bayou than an Italian field. This was what summer nights brought. L sat with his window open, enjoying the sounds from outside, not minding the slight humidity that teased the air. _

_L sat in the investigation portion of the house, staring at the computer as he wrapped up for the day to sleep. He was jet lagged and wasn't enjoying it no matter how used to staying up late he was. The case he was working on involved a serial killer; one that brought Italy to terror with murders of tourists and natives. But it wasn't that simple. He didn't have a certain pattern like most serial killers. Whether it was the same killing style, or the victims appearances were similar, but it wasn't simple. _

_This man had ten rape victims and of those ten, five of were dead. The women looked nothing alike. None were overweight or over thirty, so he liked them young, thin. Time wasn't relevant either; their occurrences were sporadic and unevenly spread over Rome without a specific source. But what made L look into the case was how flawless the murderer did it. It'd be easier to catch a rapist criminal because of the obvious DNA samples that could be found with the victim, but not a trace was left._

_He would cleanse his dead victims thoroughly before hanging them by their limbs in a secluded area. That gained him the name, "Violinio Spider," a poisonous spider native to Italy, and because one of his victims was a famous Italian violinist. The victims he only raped didn't see a thing, and were drugged before the assault, but after capture. They were hung the same way, but were in a place where he wanted them to be found. _

_L had figured out a lot of his patterns, but he felt like he was missing something, but wasn't sure what. An aroma caught his attention as he pulled away from the computer, the wheels of his chair ground against the wood floor as he rolled his to the window to peer into the night. _

_Watari lifted his head to the detective's actions. "What's the matter Ryouta?" He asked. _

_The black-haired man sniffed the air. "Do you smell that? It's smoke coming from outside." The unpleasant smell seemed to dry up the muggy air around him, his senses sharp as he tried to spot signs of a fire. _

_A crash erupted from outside the room that made him stand. "Watari," he called. His assistant gave a nod, grabbed the revolver from the desk drawer and loaded it with bullets from his coat pocket. The two slipped quietly into the living quarters. Watari stepped in first, circled the living room and checked corners to make sure no one was hiding in the shadows._

_L followed behind with wide eyes. Despite the risk of danger, his hands were still buried deep in his jean pockets. Another crash came from the kitchen. It could be a petty food thief, but all the way out here in the middle of nowhere? He rushed ahead of Watari before the assistant could stop him, Curiosity consumimg him as he pushed the swinging door and held it open with his shoulder. The second it was opened, the loudest scream he ever heard erupted from the kitchen like a banshee, nearly bursting his eardrums._

L woke from the dream, no memory of the TV screens glowing in front of him. His eyes burned from staring at them for so long. He looked around from where he sat, seeing the task force asleep. The exception was Watari, who was typing steadily on his laptop, the screen reflected in his glasses. "Watari, where do I meet Connie?" The old man wasn't surprised at the random remark.

"To-oh University."

Light stared at the woman as she collected her books from her desk, slipping them in her colorful shoulder bag. It had a patchwork design with peace signs and letters that spelt "l-o-v-e" on the corners. She wore a long white skirt, flip flops, and a baggy long-sleeved diluted red shirt with a woven leather belt around her waist. Her attire completely contradicted her attitude.

She appeared to portray a peace loving American hippie, but she was skeptical as well as cunning. How audacious.

Rem had informed him about the nameless. A special few that live on earth and can't be controlled or harmed by the death note, and if it's attempted with other methods, it can easily be evaded. Their lifespans always changed, and they were created in the simplest way. They simply were never given a name till the at least the age of seven by either of their bad childhood environment or abandonment, they were never named by their parents, and therefore never named. The blur where their name should have been that shinigami can see, and that hurts a human with shinigami eyes, is actually all their nicknames flashing by in the speed of light.

So this answered a number of questions. First, her name given to the school wasn't really what she's called. Second, her parents were non-existent in her life, which means she lied. But his third question remained unanswered.

She grabbed her bag and headed down the stairs of the lecture room.

Light quickly grabbed his books to follow. He was able to catch up in the hallway. Her long black hair was woven into a fish tail braid that twisted into a bun on the back of her head, her yen coin earrings clinked with every step." Kyioshi-San," he called to her.

The girl glanced over her shoulder, glaring as she noticed him, and whipped her head forward. "Yes?" She asked without looking at him.

The gesture ticked him off, a bubble of anger formed in his chest. _Calm down, play it cool, she's probably just trying to get a rise out of you._ "I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Light Yagami-"

"Yes, the prestigious straight-A student that was top of the freshman class. I know you." Her voice was sharp, detective, irking him even more.

"Uh, right, I was wondering if you've figured out Mr. Shota's class, since his exam is coming up, We could set up a study group-"

"Oh please, you won't divulge my secrets so simply, Yagami-San. But I applaud you for trying." She smirked at him and continued to walk through the crowd of students until Light realized he had stopped due to outright fury.

_I swear to god if she interrupts me one more time-!_ He caught up with her again, reached out and held the door open for her as she was leaving. Light smiled down at her as she glared back.

"It'll take more than trying to flatter me by being a gentleman." She brushed passed him, a familiar scent wafted from her bag; a scent that was usually associated with Ryuzaki as far as Light could tell.

"What are you doing with cake at this time of day?" He asked and he saw her smile devilishly, a snicker coming from her cupids bow lips.

"Observant aren't you? It's for a friend I'm meeting. If you're done with your interrogation, may I go now?"

" What about the study group?" That's right, be persistent, people like her would rather get something over with quickly than let it lag on, and he wasn't going to let up soon. If she was nameless, he couldn't kill her the easy way, and that meant she was a threat that'd have to be disposed of quickly. Once he got her alone...no, he was sure there was some other way to kill her, probably put her in a deadly situation using the death note. But he had to be careful, what if her death led up to another incident like with Raye Penbers fiancé? He caught her last time by outright luck, and he doubted that would happen again.

"I don't need a study group, I'm perfectly fine."

Her voice pulled him from his thoughts as he sighed, looking up Light froze at the sight behind her. Ryuzaki was walking towards the campus steps, one hand in his pocket and the other with his thumb pushed up against his upper lip, his messy raven hair glistened in the sunlight.

He was staring straight at the woman who still hadn't noticed him.

She raised an eyebrow to the college student's bewildered stare. "What..?" she followed Lights gaze and noticed L, and she dropped the bag and her books in shock.

Light jumped back from the fallen items. He was about to say something, but he saw her smile, her brow tilted upward. Not an evil sneer like Light expected, but a wide joyful teeth baring smile that caused her eyes to tear as she nearly threw herself off the stairs.

"Ryouta!" She laughed as she ran towards L, literally jumping into his arms, squeezing the life out of the detective. L caught her as if he expected that reaction, his hands caught her on the waist before she began peppering his face with small kisses as Light stared in belief at the two, unable to comprehend for a moment.

It was all L could do to keep from falling over as he held the old friend, her soft lips could be felt on his cheeks, the warmth of her tickling his neck and arms. He squinted a bit as she kissed his eye lids, making the detective blush. "Connie-"

"Ryouta! I've missed you so much, it's been forever!" She couldn't stop laughing, holding him tighter.

"Yes it has. Please let go for a moment, you're squeezing my neck."

"Ah! Sorry!" She placed her bare feet on the ground because she lost her flip-flops during the jump. She stepped back as she held his hands with a bright smile.

Light was infuriated and humiliated, but overall, bewildered, as he stared daggers at the woman as she scurried to slip her flip-flops to her feet while L rubbed his throat.

_She knows L!? All this time she was probably working under him! And she called him by a different name_. So she's known him for a long time, probably an assistant like Watari, or worked on a previous case. Whatever the situation, they were too close for his comfort.

Ryuk laughed behind him with an evil chuckle. "Looks like you've got a bigger issue to handle," he teased.

Light glared at the two, ignoring Ryuk's snide comment as he picked up Manome's bag and books for her. He walked to the two as the woman held L's hands in her own, chatting with excitement.

"I'm so happy to see you! How long has it been? Five years? What have you been doing all this time? Fighting crimes and taking names I suppose?" She gave a laugh as L's removed his hands from hers, and tucked one into his pocket as he patted her head with a small smile.

"And you didn't change a bit, still wearing colorful clothing I see."

She smiled joyfully as if it were praise.

Light decided to step in. "Ryuga, what's going on? Don't leave me out of the fun." Light gave a small laugh with his tease as Manome turned from L, but still continued to hold on his hand.

L stuffed his free hand in his pocket. "Light Yagami, this is an old friend of mine from an Italian case, Concetta. You can call her Connie. She'll be working with us on the Kira case," he explained.

Light expected her to snicker and turn her head in his direction, but the woman smiled sweetly as she gave a deep bow towards him, and all he could do was stare in bewilderment.

"Please take care of me, Yagami-San. It's nice to meet you," she greeted politely.

Light felt his inside boil. _What the hell?! It was like a split personality...no, it wasn't her personality at all, it was an act!_ "Yah, nice to meet you too..."

"Sorry for my behavior before, I was investigating on my own terms first. Then Watari called me and told me about the case."

He still couldn't believe what he heard. How did she know he was a suspect? Did L tell her? No, that couldn't be it. Impossible. If L told an outsider like her about the case and the task force found out, who knows how they would react, they'd probably lose more of their members quit. She had to be reacting the same way to everyone and see who'd strike back, to test her level of emotional power, and he just failed. Damn, he fell straight into that one; she's more than just a threat, she was and enemy.

" Connie specializes in personality switching to get people to spill information, and lie detection is also a friendly feature. It's helped remarkably in other cases so she wanted to try it on the suspects of Kira."

Yah right, more like she never got any info at all about suspects. "You gave her the names of the suspects? Sorry Ryuga, but no matter how close you are to the person, don't you think it's risky giving an outsider classified information?"

"I never said I gave her anything. She identified all the suspects on her own, with the basis of Kira being a student and that he's childish and hates to lose."

Light laughed, handing the books to her as she nodded in thanks. "Don't you think that's a bit impossible? Theirs more than a few students like that in the Kanto region of Japan don't you think-"

"I started here in To-oh. I thought the academic level of the suspect had to be high based on the previous actions of Kira. So I came to one of the most prestigious schools to investigate," she explained.

Ryuzaki let them talk as he looked towards the sports ring. "You've recognized a number of suspects from this school, right? Surely you have."

"Yes, I have."

A short answer, though it was answered kindly, he could tell she was rushing. He looked down at her as she smiled joyfully, and glanced at her fingers that were still interlaced with L's. They seemed more like a couple, than old friends. A very odd couple though. "I see. You'll have her investigate suspects on this case to see how they react to certain situations, than deduct that response to see if they're Kira. Interesting Ryuga."

L stared at Light with his black eyes as his thumb played with his lips, his slouch making him lean forward a bit. "I hope you don't mind her addition to the investigation. The way we are now is a bit dwindling."

" I don't mind at all. I think it's nice to have a woman on the case. A fresh perspective if I should add."

"Thank you. I'm glad to be working with you on the case." Manome… No, Connie, bowed again towards Light before straitening with a smile. He didn't like her true attitude; it was too innocent to the point he could easily let his guard down around her. With her being incisive and direct, it was easier to more cautious. He had to be careful not to slip up.

"Light, why don't you meet us at headquarters after classes? I still have some business to take care of with Connie about the case."

No! He couldn't leave them alone together to discuss his fate! He had to get them separated, or at least keep a close eye. "Oh, could I tag along? I have some stuff to discuss as well. Don't worry about my classes for now; I'm pretty much done for the day."

Ryuzaki's looked at Light skeptically., An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. "I hope you don't mind, Light-kun, but I would like some privacy with Connie-San today. It's been five years since I last saw her. I hope you understand."

Connie looked as if she wanted to intervene, giving a worried look to Light, but she didn't act on it, bowing her head a bit as her hands clutched her bag straps. That's right, she was actually a polite and modest person, and she would find it rude to turn away a member of company when they asked to join. But she was smart enough to not let personal feelings get involved in this kind of situation, leaving L to deal with it instead.

"Oh, right, sorry. Maybe next time." He tried to make it look as if he were holding back disappointment, trying to get Connie to speak up, but she didn't budge, staying close to Ryuzaki's side with a timid expression.

"Then we'll see you later Light-kun. Connie-San?" She smiled at him and gave a nod as he turned to leave, bowing to Light before they departed. The brunette watched them leave with a glare, looking at Ryuk over his shoulder.

"I don't think there'd be any chance you could spy on them for me, right?" He asked the shinigami, who looked down at him.

"It could be more interesting than being with you, depending on what you're doing of course."

Light smiled, slipping his hands into his pants pocket. "I'll be doing some thinking over a certain person's fate, and running by the store."

Ryuk's ears perked, knowing that running by the store could mean Light was buying apples. He laughed heartily. "All right, I'll play your little spying game, but I'm expecting apples when I get back!" Black bony wings sprouted from the shinigami's back as he flung himself into the air, flying away to follow L.

Light smiled. It was all but too easy to bribe the shinigami.


	2. Chapter 2- apples

Deadly tapestry

Chapter 2- apples

_The scream pierced the detective's ears as he winced and recoiled from the kitchen entrance, seeing it was person sitting on the floor, the scream was developed because of surprise. It was a woman, covered in black dirt he could only recognize as soot, dressed in torn and singed plaid pajama pants and a baggy ti-dye t-shirt. Watari came in after L as he stared at the bewildering sight and pointed the gun at her, making her yelp again. Her green eyes were wide and scared as she recoiled from the weapon._

_"Who are you?" L questioned, holding out his arm to Watari to refrain from shooting at the moment, noticing the glass all around her from the kitchen window she had broken through, her figure trying to avoid it where she sat on her knees._

_She began to ramble in a panic. "I-I'm sorry! I th-thought this house was abandoned! I didn't know-"_

_"It looks like you been in a fire, what happened to you?" _

_A sudden pounding on the living quarters door made them jump, L nodding to Watari to get it while walking to the girl, sliding his feet into a pair of nearby house slippers to avoid stepping on the glass. Watari left the room as the girls eyes followed him with worry, looking up at L than back at Watari. They heard him opening the front door._

_"Good evening. Can I help you?" He answered politely, his voice echoing to the kitchen. The dark-haired detective didn't have to remind the girl to stay quiet, since she was already as still as a statue. His nose wrinkled when he noticed her long black hair giving off a bit of the smell that it had been singed. She noticed this, her cheeks warming a bit as she moved the hair to one shoulder, shifting closer to the door to hear the other strangers.. _

_"Excuse us, were looking for a woman who went missing recently. Her name is Concietta Musarelii, she has long black hair, green eyes, about this tall." A male voice informed, L looking down at the girl for clarification, who quickly shook her head rapidly. Her eyes silently plead not to give her away._

_"I'm sorry, but I've never seen her, I just moved in today." Watari's voice apologized, and out of a crack in the kitchen doorway L could see the white haired man bow to the two suited strangers. _

_They both looked at each other for assurance. "Never mind than, sorry for taking up your time sir." The men shook hands with Watari than departed, the old man closing the door. _

_"Pretty suspicious for them to be this desperate and travel this far to find you, we aren't necessarily close to civilization." L mumbled to himself, the girl sighing with relief as she swept her long bangs back with her hand, drying the nervous sweat on her brow._

_"Thank you for not giving me away, those were the men who set my home on fire to smoke me out, and almost had me at one point." She coughed harshly into her palm, the sound gritty and painful. Watari winced at the sound. "If-...if I hadn't cut through the woods I probably wouldn't have found you two kind people. Thank you again." She smiled kindly at both Watari and L, an air of maturity and manner in the way she held herself, making the girl seem older than she looked. She stood carefully while minding the glass, her knees shaking a bit. L noticed a blood stain was visible on her singed pant leg, her feet charred with heat blisters. By the way her eyes watered, the whites a light pink, he could tell the smoke had gotten to her. _

_"You're not going to leave in that condition, are you?" L asked as he stared at her, the girl raising a brow in question. "Of course, I need to head back to my house and save what I can-"_

_"Don't worsen your condition, you have smoke poisoning and your injured, you'll collapse before reaching your destination, it's a surprise you haven't collapsed already." _

_She frowned, shaking her head vigorously. "No, no ,no, I couldn't stay in the same house I broke into. I'll fetch the money for the damages while there and-" _

_"Watari, please obtain any surviving items in 's home. I'll care to her injuries." L ordered, Watari giving a nod and slipped out the door._

_"No, please-"_

_"Careful." Hooking his hands under her arms he lifted her from where she stood and to the kitchen doorway with ease, away from the glass. Her hands twisted on the hem of her shirt nervously as the detective turned off the kitchen lights and let the door swing back in place. He walked past her through the foyer and started up the stairs, the girl finding his posture odd how his shoulders slouched. He probably worked with computers for a living, or something that caused him to hunch over so often... "Are you coming?" She jumped to him calling her name where he looked down to her from the stairs, his dark eyes peering from the shadows of the ancient house. _

_Her cheeks heating as she realized she had been staring into space. "Uh-right, sorry." She winced as the carpet picked at her blistered feet as she followed him up the stairs, leaning on the bannister heavily. L noticed this, holding out his hand to aid her, but Concietta shook her head, careful to not worsen her debts. _

_"You can't leech off kindness, you know. It's sometimes polite to accept it." She heard him mumble as he turned back around, the comment making her sigh. _

_"You can, it's called being taken advantage of."_

_"Yes but that's repetitive, I only offered once."_

_"I have to disagree; you've shown me kindness from the time I broke in...um, what's your name?" She now leaned on the hallway wall as he looked over his shoulder before opening one of the bedroom doors. _

_"Call me Ryouta."_

The death god hovered above the detective and his companion as they walked through the street, and from their conversation, to a nearby cafe. He currently found what they were saying useless, but he knew Light long enough to know they wouldn't say anything vital till in a more secretive environment. Though the information would still be useless to the shinigami, because he was never on one side, just an observer. "Where have you traveled since Italy?" Ryuzaki asked the nameless girl, who hummed in thought, her arm wrapped around his while they walked.

"Not many places...I went to a few cities around Italy than to a couple neighboring countries, but then I heard about the Kira case and looked into it and flew to Japan. I never knew you'd be working on it as well." L stared straight ahead, swiftly moving out of the way of passing people on the busy sidewalk.

"Yes. I was informed by Watari you've been spotted on a security camera and we've been searching to find you, you've been helpful with the case so far."

"Hm? How?" They stopped at a small tea shop that smelled sweetly of coffee and herbs, L holding the door open for his friend while Ryuk tucked in his wings and landed. He slipped through the wall and followed the two as they sat in the back, their booth hidden by tall plants and a foggy-glass wall.

Waiters and waitresses walked through the invisible monster as he stared down at their table from the aisle. "You've been helpful on the case in a number of ways," L explained. "You strengthened my suspicion on Light Yagami."

"That's only one way."

"Yes, well, I said 'a number' to boost your ego." She laughed a bit, rolling her eyes. L shifted in his seat where he sat with his knees curled up, holding the small menu up by his thumb and index finge. Ryuk watched him, being reminded on how weird this guy was.

"Oh! I brought you something." Connie remembered, L looking under the raised menu as she dug through her bag and tugged out a tuba-wear container. His mouth began to water in anticipation as he dropped the forgotten menu, the soft smell of strawberries wafting through the air as the girl displayed a perfect strawberry trifle from the clear container.

"Tada! Like old times, huh?" She smiled as he took the square dish and quickly unraveled the silver wear from the napkin, the metal freeing with a clatter. Connie laced her fingers together and rested her chin on them, her elbows used as support as she watched the detective eat happily. "I remember baking you a ton of stuff back in Italy, almost to where it became a habit to think about different recipes for you."

"I always admired your baking, though your cooking skills still needed work." L mumbled with his fork still halfway in his mouth, a large portion of the cake already devoured. Ryuk yawned at the dull conversation, wishing he had gone back with light. All their talking about is useless memories. "Um...Routa-"

"like I said, It's Ryuga in public, and Ryuzaki at case headquarters." He informed bluntly, Connie nodding in understanding. "Ryuga. I wanted to ask, why do you suspect light Yagami so much?" L set his finished cake and used fork aside, placing one hand on his knee while the other scratched at his hair. "It's not a major percentage, about eight to nine, but it's because he seems a little too perfect. he's one of the main suspects personality wise, being childish, deductive, hating to loose. He always a step ahead, as if he's seeing every move the task force takes, and avoiding it flawlessly."

"But that doesn't give you much evidence." Connie reminded, the detectives expression twisting into a frown.

"I know. It's terribly frustrating."

Ryuk chuckled. No matter how much this guy suspected, it was never going to make a basis for arresting Light. "Before we go on with this conversation, I much inform you of something." He warned, Connie's eyes turning serious, giving a nod. "I am L." Ryuk expected some kind of dramatic gasp or a yell in surprise, cause really, even light wasn't able to keep full composure when he found out, but all the girl did was smile.

"I suspected as much a long time ago, so it's not a surprise now." L made a sound of disappointment to her reaction, but gave a small impressed smile.

"Your intuition scares me at times." He admitted, the girl giving a loud laugh.

"Good!" A waitress approached the table and took their tea orders, returning with the beverages shortly after leaving, setting the cups down with cream and sugar. The two were silent during that time, Ryuk guessing they were trying to keep confidential information about the case contained. When the waitress was safely away, L turned back to Connie.

"There is someone I would like you to investigate before we make a proper arrest to the second Kira. You've heard of him correct?" Her head bobbed in clarification of a yes. "We have forensic tests from the videos sent to Sakura TV that have some of the same match ups as the substances in Misa Amane's room and by the apartment. She is a teenage model and is currently, from what I know, dating Light Yagami."

"So if she is caught as the second Kira than that raises Light's suspicion even more."

"Exactly, But I want you to get some answers on her exact relationship with light-kun. The second Kira seems to have an infatuation with being with the first Kira based on the videos. And we know that burglars broke into her home and killed her parents a while back, so she supports Kira because he sent that criminal to justice. For now, I want you to dig out her relationship with light."

"Sure, I can do that. So, where can I find her?" L looked up at her as he sipped his tea, adding a few more sugar packs after tasting it. "At the west mall on Saturday, she'll be there for a signing, so I want you to disguise yourself as a fan girl who so happens to be an ex-girlfriend of light-"

"And it'll make her jealous enough to spill a clue, I'll insult him and Kira a bit to try and get a rise."

L smiled at the plan, looking excited. "I look forward to your results."

Ryuk laughed, smiling at how light would give half his life for this information that could give Misa and him away. He was glad he followed them, this was interesting.

"Allright! Spill it, shinigami!" Light ordered while hitting a fist against his desk, turned on his office chair to face the towering creature, who only smiled. The man's patience was wearing thin, and the death god was mocking him.

"I've too you before and I'll say it again, I'm only a mere observer because I've been bored. Just because you have the death note, it doesn't obligate me to tell you what I've heard."

"Dammit Ryuk! Stop waisting my time!" Light ran a hand through his hair, frustration boiling inside his chest, and he had a violent urge to throw something. This surprised him, making him realize he was losing his composure too easily. He took a deep breath and straitened in his chair, looking up at the shinigami with dark eyes.

If he was Rem, this would have been easier; she would do anything to protect Misa and her happiness. And if L and Connie discussed his demise and succeeded, Misa would be heartbroken. But he couldn't say the same for Ryuk, he was on no one's side, the only bribing tool Light could use were pathetic apples! Who in the hell gets addicted to apples!? Like always, Light tried to talk out of the situation. He had to think things through for the stupid god. "You know Ryuk, if this discussion L had with Connie somehow created a lead, they could pursue it without my knowing."

"Uh, yah. Your right." Ryuk agreed, wondering why he was stating the obvious. Light leaned back in his chair, his posture now calm when he had been ripping his hair out just moments ago. He had something up his sleeve didn't he?

"And if that happens, I can be arrested, and do you know what happens if I'm put in confinement? Than executed? I lose possession of the death note and your little watching game will be over. No more apples and no more entertainment. And do you honestly think you'll find another human like me who was able to use the death note so thoroughly? Gracious enough to even keep you entertained and feed you pleasure snacks as well?" Light dug into his desk drawer and pulled out a bright red apple, the sight nearly making the death god drool openly. "So what's it going to be, Ryuk? Are you going to tell me? Or are you going to let this end all right here?"

Connie sat on a bench in the west-ward mall by the food court, having developed her own disguise for the occasion. She kept her appearance ideal and perfect, her light brown wig tied back into a ponytail, wearing a black pencil skirt, a white button-up shirt, a short red cardigan to make it a bit casual, and with short black boots gracing her legs.

She wanted her appearance to seem mature, something she knew Misa lacked, but also give off a somewhat gothic appearance to pass off as one of her fan girls. She had to admit she was a bit nervous, but this was necessary to obtain data for the case. Her heart seemed to race faster as she remembered the recording devise under her shirt.

Taking a deep breath she stood and walked over to the second floor balcony of the mall, looking over the glass railing to see the large line of people leading up to the skull covered booth Misa Amane was signing autographs at and handing out pictures and magazines, giving cheery waves. She didn't seem like a Kira, but personal observations didn't matter, Connie had to do her job.

The model could be seen whispering a word to her body guard, the cue she was about to take a break, Connie rushing down the mall stairs to catch up with the girl as she walked away, slipping past a guard while they stopped the other fans from swarming through. The model left from behind the booth and headed for the bathrooms, Connie knowing that if she was in there no one would be allowed to enter after, but that didn't mean she couldn't enter before.

The girl slipped into the bathrooms and hid in a stall, waiting patiently till hearing the cheery girls heels echoing on the large black tiles, waiting till she was done using the facility's and could be heard washing her hands. Connie kicked the toilet handle with her foot to make it flush, exiting the stall and walking to the sinks beside the model, washing her hands. Connie peeked at Misa, than pretended to do a double take in shock, gasping as the blonde looked at her with wide eyes. "Oh my god! Your Misa-Misa!" She beamed, Misa giving a nervous look as she smiled.

"Um, yup! That's me!"

"I am such a big fan of yours! I saw your swimsuit issue in September of last year and fell in love with your modeling skills! I can't believe I'm meeting you in person!"

Connie gave a small bow as Misa laughed a bit. "Thanks! Though you look to be more suited as a model than me."

"Of course not! I'm mean, you're an actress too! I've bet you have the role for the lead in that romance movie in the bag for sure!"

"I wouldn't say that... Are you here for the signing? Oh! Let me get you an autograph!" The model hurried out of the bathroom as Connie followed, trying to read her reactions. She seemed nervous, and fast paced, with her hands fiddling with almost every article of her clothing in reach. She wouldn't be nervous about being caught in surprise by a fan, she should be used to that.

Connie reminded herself to watch her back, this seemed suspicious. She followed Misa to one of her body guards, from who she got a picture from and a marker, using a nearby lounging area table to sign it. "Who is this to?" She asked as she looked up from the picture, Connie smiling and pointing a finger at herself.

"Cameron Michelle." The blonde nodded and looked down, her black nailed hand moving in fluid motions. "Love Misa Misa... To-"

"Hey, is it true you're dating the college student named Light Yagami?" Connie blurted, making Misa jerk to a stop, looking up at her slowly. "H-how did you know?"

"He's my ex-boyfriend from high school, I heard from a friend you were seen with him on the campus and I was just wondering if you were together." The girl straitened once finishing the autograph, handing it to with her smile gone. She had her.

"Well it's supposed to stay a secret, so don't say anything."

"Oh of course not! But I was wondering if he's talked your ear off yet."

"Excuse me?" Connie gave a giggle, taking the autograph. "Well, while we were dating he just went on and on about stuff I didn't even get! And he was always so obsessed with the Kira case he didn't even have time to be with me, I would just say that's selfish you know?" Misa fumed, Connie seeing anger twisting in her expression. Now that she had the models attention, she had to get her angry enough to argue using anything, even secrets.

"How dare you! Light is perfect and you have no excuse to talk about him that way!"

"Oh please, I mean, how could that jerk even ignore a girl like me? I'm an intern at a law firm, yet he spent more time with his research over the exhausting Kira case to even spend time with me, and when he did, he wouldn't shut up and listen to what I had to say-"

"That's because from girl like you it would be a waist to hear what you have to say! Light is the most perfect, considerate person in the world! Do you even know what he's doing for everybody!? No! Cause all you do is care about yourself!" the outburst startled Connie as the girl yelled, forcing Connie to walk back as the blonde moved closer, pushing her to the section of the mall under renewal construction. Connie tried to get a grip on her surroundings to use them for a way out, but all she could see was the floor covered with a white tarp, Misa's body guards coming closer to stop the petty argument, and a man walking by in a uniform, looking at them curiously. Her attention was pulled back by the angry Misa, about as harmful as a barking Chihuahua. "I'm his girlfriend because I can help him and he needs me!"

"Help him with what? What does he need you for, Misa?" She needed answers, and quick.

"He needs me and that's it, all right! But what I know is that he doesn't need or want you-!" A terrible metallic sound ripped from above, making the two look up in shock to see the massive chandler snap from its chord and begin to fall with incredible speed. Before Connie could process what was going on, she looked at Misa to see she was running away, a few yells and screams heard here and there, before everything went dark.

Kujo Miazaki

Dies from an accident at the west-ward mall at 1:30 pm on June 21 2004, from a chandler crushing him that was under construction, killing three passerby's, one female, and two males.

Light stared down at the notebook as he called Misa from the exclusive phone she had given him, the phone only ringing once before she answered cheerily. "Light! I guess you want to know how it went?" She giggled as light waited for an answer. "We're packing up the signing cause of the accident, and I wasn't harmed at all, I ran as fast as I could just like you said!"

"What about the nameless?" He questioned, practically seeing her proud smile through the phone. "Died along with that guy you said was walking by! Plus you killed my two body guards as well, but I can get new ones!"

"Did you make sure she's dead Misa?" He clarified, not wanting to take any chances with a nameless, knowing they can evade the death notes power. "Her condition looked pretty bad to me and there was a lot of blood, the medics took her away as fast as they could, but I know she'll die on the way, there was too much trauma."

Light sighed, not enough to make sure of it, but it'd have to do for now. "By the way, who was the guys name you wrote down?" She asked, light reading over the name again on the death note on his desk. "It's a random name I found on the malls website on the employment list, if he was even a petty criminal L could suspect I could kill in more ways than one."

"Right. You as smart as ever Light! Anyway, gotta go! I love you!"

He snapped the phone shut without saying anything, looking up at Ryuk who munched on an apple happily. Light had taken three innocent lives with this stunt, but he had to, it was the only opportunity to kill that dreaded nameless. To be a god of the new world, some sacrifices had to be made.

_L watched as the girl stared in annoyance at the bandages on her skin, her feet shifting uncomfortably against the gauze. He smacked her hand away as her fingers pried at a band aid on her arm. "Don't pick." He ordered and she sulked at him, sitting on the edge of the bathtub while the detective put away the first aid kit. "Think of those bandages as a way to survive, and you won't pick." He heard her sigh, her fingers twisting together in her lap._

_"Survive, huh." She chuckled a bit. "I don't think I'd be missed if I were dead."_


End file.
